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Definitions

sour

[souuhr, sou-er] / saʊər, ˈsaʊ ər /
ADJECTIVE
bad-tasting; gone bad
Synonyms
STRONGEST
acid acidic acrid biting bitter briny caustic fermented musty peppery piquant pungent rancid sharp soured unpleasant
STRONG
acidulated astringent bad curdled cutting dry green salty stinging tart turned
WEAK
acerb acetic acetose acetous keen sourish unripe unsavory unwholesome vinegary with a kick
Antonyms
STRONGEST
agreeable blah bland calm dull good kind mild nice pleasant sweet tasteless wonderful
WEAK
cheerful cordial friendly happy tasty
ADJECTIVE
in a bad mood
Synonyms
STRONGEST
acid acrid acrimonious bitter grouchy rotten unpleasant
STRONG
discontented displeasing embittered grudging jaundiced tart
WEAK
churlish crabby cynical disagreeable ill-natured ill-tempered irritable on edge peevish ungenerous unhappy waspish
Antonyms
STRONGEST
agreeable content good good-natured kind nice pleasant sweet wonderful
WEAK
cheerful cordial friendly happy
VERB
alienate
Synonyms
STRONGEST
embitter exacerbate spoil
STRONG
acidify curdle disenchant envenom exasperate turn
WEAK
make sour turn off
Antonyms
STRONGEST
calm comfort help
WEAK
encourage excite incite

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The mood wasn’t sour—citrus farmers could handle sour.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Sixty-five percent of Asian refining capacity is built for medium-to-heavy sour crude.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Brunello Cucinelli BC 0.74%increase; green up pointing triangle , the quiet-luxury brand favored by tech billionaires, had been hit by the sour mood across the sector.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

He also took Newcastle back into the Champions League, but this season has turned sour and Howe is another manager whose fate may hinge on what happens in the rest of the campaign.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

She was such a sour, complaining woman that everyone expected her to dance with glee.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Vocabulary lists containing sour

"The Sun Rising" by John Donne

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odes

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Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 3)

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